


An Alternative

by sparkster



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: ...or am I?, AU, An Alternative, Apartment AU, But it's there, Eventual Relationships, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, I'm just kidding, Incest, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possible Character Death, not romanticizing it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24013885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkster/pseuds/sparkster
Summary: [More relationships and tags will be added as the story progresses.][Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc au]16 teenagers all move into an apartment, which, coincidentally, has exactly 16 rooms! Wow, what a plot convenience that is, yes?Friendships blossom, relationships start, and even some... murder?! No, no, I'm just kidding. I totally am. Enjoy the story!
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> Dearest readers,
> 
> thank you for clicking on this, really. I appreciate your curiosity.
> 
> For those of still wondering what this is/is about, I'll tell you. It's basically a Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc au, but instead of inside a killing school with horrible rules and a barbie doll for a mastermind, they all live happy communal lives in a nice apartment! Isn't that nice.
> 
> Anywho, that seems to be it, so please enjoy the story!

It was a normal day. Nothing weird or out of the ordinary, just an average day in the city of Bunkyo.

That is if you don't count the small apartment with a line with thirteen people waiting to get a room. Yes, you heard me right. _Thirteen_ people. They weren't exactly ordinary people, either, except for one boy in the middle of the line. His name was Makoto Naegi. 

Mr. Makoto (wait, why am I calling him Mr. ?! He's too _average_ to have a title like that, puhuhuhu!) isn't very special, nor is he unique. He's very normal, but in all honesty, he is the only one calling himself these things. He thinks he's the average one, the middle child, the easily forgettable one. But in reality, nobody thinks this; they just choose not to talk to him! It's funny how being ignored can lead to such misguided thoughts.

Anyway, you remember how I said the rest of the people in line weren't ordinary people? Well, let me get back to that. Everybody in line, including Makoto, were high schoolers. Okay, I admit, that's not very special, but that wasn't even supposed to be the special part! Every teenager in line, except, of course, Mr. "I'm more average than average can get", is an _ultimate._

Now, you may be asking, "An ultimate? What the hell is that?" Well, I'll explain! 

An "ultimate" is someone who is the very best at what they do. For example; Kyoko Kirigiri, the second-to-first person in line, is the Ultimate Detective. It goes without saying, but that means that she, herself, is one of the best detectives that Bunkyo, Tokyo has ever laid eyes on. It can go on forever, really; somebody can even be the Ultimate Despair! But, of course, there is no Ultimate Despair, so don't go worrying your little heads off, alright? Alright! Puhuhuhu!

Okay, now that I've got that covered, it's time for me to head out, kiddos! (Also, the _real_ author is begging me to leave...) Be safe, wash your hands, and enjoy! Or don't, I don't care! Puhuhuhu!

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The line was ghost-quiet; the only people talking being the first person in line and the receptionist. Although, it was more of a one-sided conversation, because the receptionist was totally out of it, her wide eyes focusing on the mile-long line behind the counter. They usually had one or two people come in at a time, but now they've got the whole apartment filled up! Good thing nobody was living in the apartment at the time.

As if thirteen people in the line weren't enough, it only got wilder when three more people walked in the doors, hands full of luggage just as everybody else, and a bell above the glass doors making a loud _"ding"_ sound as they stepped in.

The trio stopped after walking in, probably out of shock and disappointment at the length of the line. One of them sighed, the other sulked their shoulders, and the third just looked at the line with narrow eyes.

"Great, just what I needed." The boy who sighed pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose using his free hand, and then walked over to the end of the line. "I knew I should've come here earlier..." The other person, who was a girl, straightened herself up and crossed her arms, making a pouty face. 

"It's not my fault my makeup takes long!" She said, her bushy, pink, pigtails bouncing with every movement she made. "Not to mention I, like, accidentally smeared my lipstick, which, like, sucked! So I had to redo it, which sucked even more than it already did!" She groaned. The girl, who honestly looked emotionless to the line, patted her shoulder.

"Now, now, sister, let's stop telling strangers your life story and get to the back of the line." she said, or, well, demanded. The girl with pink pigtails gave in and picked up her luggage, succumbing to her sister's demands. The blank-faced girl, who looked barely anything like her sister (she had a black bob and grey eyes, nearly a polar opposite to her sister's bright, model-like looks,), pulled her sister over to the back of the line, clenching her luggage's handle.

"Aha! And that's why you always get up at six AM sharp! Imagine if you were at school, what would your teachers think of such behavior?!" the strict boy at the front of line shouted, looking back at the newcomers. The girl behind him with long, lavender hair and purple eyes crossed her arms impatiently, probably just wanting this to be over with so she could get a room. "Now then," he turned back to the receptionist, "I'd like a room, please!"

"Sir, you can't just say 'I'd like a room, please,'" the woman behind the counter said, shrugging. "This isn't a hotel, you're gonna be _living_ here. You need to sign a few papers and stuff, so please wait while I go get them..." She turned around, probably to go get the papers, leaving the line in total, utter shock. 

"W-Wait-" the boy muttered, his eyes wide and mouth ajar. "It's n-not just as simple as saying 'can I g-get a room'?!" he shouted as if he hadn't prepared for any of this. None of the others had either, because they were all left in silence. That is until a redhead near the end of the line spoke up.

"Why're _you_ complaining? You're the one who's got it the best!" he yelled. "You're at the front of the line!" 

"I- well, um- I- I guess you're right..." the boy's expression suddenly calmed down, not caring for the other people in line. A smile then grew on his face. "Ah, well then!" He turned back around to the receptionist, looking down at the papers, leaving a flabbergasted redhead to pout in his anger, along with the rest of the line in disappointment.

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It was almost an hour later when everybody had finished getting a room, and it took _another_ hour for everybody to get settled in. The rooms were pretty simple; a plain, twin bed with white sheets, a small kitchen, a bathroom with all the necessities, a fold-out couch, and T.V.; basically everything an apartment room needed. So, nothing too special, just like our friend Makoto. Speaking of Makoto, let's check in on him, yes?

"So... this is where I'm staying..." Makoto looked around the room, scratching his head in confusion. "You know, I thought it'd be a little bigger, seeing as how highly everybody spoke of it." He sat down on the bed, looking around the small room. There wasn't much to do, so he decided to go introduce himself to some of the others. "There's nothing wrong with introducing yourself, right?" he said to himself as he got up, dusting himself off as he walked towards the door and walked out. 

The first thing he did was knock on the door right next to his, making sure to have a good composure; after all, first impressions matter, right? 

Although, turns out they didn't matter too much in this situation, because no one answered. Not the first time he knocked, or the second, or the fifth. So, he gave up and tried the next door over. The same thing happened, and when he tried the _next_ door over, it happened again. Makoto sighed, giving up. 

"Jeez, did everyone die or something?" he mumbled to himself as he walked down the hall to the stairs that went down to the first floor. There wasn't much else to do, so he decided to explore a bit. _No harm in that,_ he thought. He walked down them two at a time, eventually reaching a conference room. There, waiting for him, was something he never thought he'd encounter.

"Ah! There you are! We were all sure there had been somebody else we were missing..." a boy stood up from his chair and shouted, almost as soon as Makoto had opened the door. The brunette stared in confusion at the scene; there, everybody who was in the line earlier, were all sat around a long, round, black table. 

"Wh-What? What is everybody doing here?" was the first thing Makoto said. The boy smiled.

"Well, I just so happened to be exploring my, or, well, _our_ new living space when I found this conference room! It seemed very convenient, so I decided to gather all of us up and set up a little welcoming party!" He clasped his hands together, the big smile still on his face, and sat back down. "Please, come sit! How about we introduce ourselves?"

"Uh... okay." Makoto complied, sitting down in a free seat, which just so happened to be next to a big, muscly man who Makoto was incredibly intimidated by, and a small and petite girl who had short, light brown hair. Makoto had to say, it was a little weird that this small apartment had a full-on conference room, but it was also convenient, just like the strict boy had said. Looks like Makoto _will_ get to introduce himself after all.

"Alright! Let's go around the circle, starting with me," the boy said. "We'll all say our names and something about ourselves, yes? Okay!" He smiled, seeming very eager to do this. "I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru, but you can call me Taka. I pride myself on being a rule-abiding citizen and high schooler! Oh, and that reminds me, is everyone here a high schooler, or...?" he asked, looking around. Various "yes"s, "yeah"s, and nods came from around the room, but there was just one who didn't say any of those things.

"Ehh, actually..." All heads turned to a brown-skinned man, who did indeed look older than the rest of the table. "I'm 21, it's just I've been held back a few times..." He swatted his hand at everyone in a dismissive manner as if to say, "don't worry about it, though." 

A few people looked surprised, and the table was quiet for a few seconds until Taka broke the silence.

"A-Anyway! Let's keep it going, everyone!" he said quickly, motioning to the small girl beside him. She looked surprised for a second, probably thinking that she would've been last instead of first, but eventually began speaking.

"I'm Chihiro Fujisaki..." she said quietly, not making eye contact with anyone. "I like computers and stuff, mostly programming them..." her eyes lit up a bit when she started talking about something she liked, and she actually looked up at everyone. "It makes me happy when I get to do the stuff I like!" She smiled sweetly, a blush appearing on her face. Makoto smiled until he realized that he was next.

"Oh! Uh, I'm Makoto Naegi, it's very nice to meet you all." He gave a small nod and a smile to everyone. Although, it grew a bit awkward when the guy beside him didn't start talking. "Uh..." he looked at the guy beside him, having to look up to see his actual face. "Isn't it your turn...?" he asked, smiling awkwardly. 

"No, not yet," he said, his voice sounding a lot more feminine than you would think it would sound. Makoto raised an eyebrow. "You still haven't said anything about yourself." 

"Oh..." he mumbled to himself, looking down at his hands and then back up at everybody. "Well, I, um, I don't think there's anything to say in that area, really... I'm not that special." He chuckled, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"Nonsense! I'm sure you have _something_ special you like to do!" The room was struck by surprise when Taka stood up, slamming his fist on the table and clenching his other. "Everybody is special in their own way, and I'm sure you are too!" he yelled. _Jesus, this guy is really passionate about supporting others...,_ Makoto thought. 

"Well, um, I honestly just follow the crowd." Before anyone could say anything, he continued. "And I enjoy it, I do. I realize it's not the most special thing in the universe, but I don't really like or do anything else, so..." he laughed quietly, smiling up at everyone. The guy beside him also smiled.

"I am Sakura Ogami," he said, making a few individual's eyes go wide open. 

"Wait, do you mean... you're a... girl?" a cutesy girl with long, flowing, blue hair said hesitantly, nervously toying with a strand of hair. Sakura chuckled.

"Yes, there is no need to be nervous to ask. I take no offense to such questions." Makoto suddenly let out a breath he didn't even notice he was holding. With a build like Sakura's, it's no surprise the blue-haired girl was nervous to ask that question. If Sakura didn't act as calmly as she did, she could easily rip her in half with those muscles of hers.

For some reason, it once again grew quiet, but nobody knew why. Sakura had finished her introduction through-and-through, so why wasn't the next person talking?

"D-Don't pressure me!" a girl, who was the next one up, with purple braids and glasses yelled. The table was stunned with her aggression that came out of nowhere, so they quietly waited. She cleared her throat and began speaking. "I-I'm Toko Fukawa, but I doubt any of you care to even listen..." she mumbled. _What was she talking about?_ Makoto thought, raising his eyebrow. _We're all listening!_

"I like to write, I guess... but I don't think that m-m-matters to y-you guys..." Toko said, fidgeting with her hands. The girl beside her didn't care to at least say that they did listen and cared, but instead went right on with her introduction.

"And I am Celestia Ludenber-"

"HEY!" Toko shouted, making everyone jump. _Looks like we should expect this behavior from her..._ Makoto thought. "Why are you ignoring me?! You just go right on with your introduction and don't even c-care for me?!" she screamed at Celestia, clenching her fists at her. Celeste's face didn't change, her bright red eyes just glanced over at Toko. 

"Maybe it is because I do not care enough about you to respond to your comment?" she said. She can somehow still look like something out of a movie or something with her perfect porcelain skin and black twin-drills even when she was being so passive-aggressive. "There was honestly no point in doing so, anyway, because of what I gathered from you so far leaves me with the conclusion that you do not take criticism well." She smiled, and then turned back to the table, leaving Toko fuming.

"Anyway, allow me to continue. I am Celestia Ludenberg; professional gambler." Her eyes scanned the room, but no one knew why. 

"Is... is that something to be proud of?" a girl with a slim frame and big... proportions, asked, her brown hair tied up in a ponytail. Celeste looked over at her.

"In my case, yes. I do not understand why it would not be." She chuckled, and then looked over at a boy beside her. His feet were resting upon the table, and his hands were behind his head in a carefree manner. 

"Eh? Oh, my turn, huh," he said, his voice gruff. He had a large, dark brown punch perm pompadour, and his outfit was rather rebellious looking. "'Names Mondo Owada, you might know me. I'm a gang leader. More specifically, _biker_ gang leader. I'm kind of infamous around here." He laughed. Taka looked at the boy with horrified eyes.

"Excuse me?" Taka said, cocking his head at Mondo.

"What?" Mondo answered, narrowing his eyes at the guy.

"How can you feel so carefree about being a _leader_ of such a rebellious thing?!" he shouted, pounding his fist on the table and standing up once again, making some people quietly groan.

"How can _you_ be so fuckin' stuck up?!" Mondo threw his feet off the table and on the ground, nearly hitting Celeste, and stood up. The tension between the two was so thick it could be cut with a butter knife, and you could practically see the electricity between them as they looked at each other straight in the eyes.

"Guys, please!" Chihiro spoke up, looking a bit afraid. Makoto swore he saw tears forming in her eyes, but he shook it off. "Stop fighting, we've still got a few more people..." she pleaded, sinking a bit in her seat. The two boys looked at Chihiro, then at each other, then back at Chihiro, then finally, back at each other. Taka was the first person to regain composition. He closed his eyes and looked down.

"I am sorry for my behavior, everybody." He looked back up and said, "Even to you..." he glared at Mondo and quickly sat back down. Mondo sneered and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, he was the one who started shit anyway." He sat back down, crossing his arms. 

"Ugh, finally! Like, no offense, but you guys took _way_ too long to get to me," the girl next to Mondo laughed. Holding up her big, pink pigtails was a red bow, and in the other, a cute white rabbit. "I'm Junko Enoshima! I'm a little bit famous, since, you might know, I'm, like, a model! Teehee!" She held up a peace sign with both her hands, laughing as she did. 

"And I'm her sister," another girl next to Junko said, "Mukuro Ikusaba." She nodded her head as a greeting, even giving a slight smile. "I consider myself a good soldier, so I guess you could count that as a thing about myself." Junko smiled brightly at her sister.

"Yup! She's the beeeest~! I love her so much, you guys!" Junko hugged her from the side, squeezing her tight and then sat back in her seat normally, still smiling. Makoto narrowed his eyes as he saw Mukuro blush, but this time, he didn't shake it off; not as nothing, at least. He just thought it was because of the compliment, so he let it go for now. 

"Oh! Now it's my turn," the blue-haired girl smiled shyly, giving a tiny laugh as she did so. "I'm Sayaka Maizono, it's very nice to meet you all," she said, meeting Makoto's eyes. For some reason, Makoto couldn't shake the thought that he'd met her before. "I really love music, and I'm even kind of a pop idol..." she said, her face turning a bit red. _Oh, then that's where I must've remembered her from... we didn't really meet, I just remembered her in some music videos, that's all,_ Makoto thought.

"And I'm Hifumi Yamada, the best fanfic creator of my time!" A round boy beside Sayaka suddenly shouted, chuckling. They pushed their glasses up on the bridge of their nose, crossing their arms quickly after. The room went silent, making Hifumi frown. "What?! Do none of you people appreciate modern art anymore?!" 

"Of course, we do, fatty," a redhead that just so happened to be sitting beside Hifumi said. "It's just that your 'fanfic' creator stuff is kinda, you know, _lame._ " Hifumi gasped, clenching his chest as he heard those words come out of his mouth.

"Eh?! Excuse me?! How dare you insult my career?!" he shouted, looking at the redhead with an extremely offended face. The boy beside him laughed.

"Oh, come on. _Career?_ Buddy, if you actually wanna have a successful career, maybe _don't_ choose writing fanfiction as one." He snorted. That just left Hifumi speechless.

"Hey, can you be a little bit nicer?" the girl with the brown hair tied up in a ponytail asked, putting her hands on her hips. 

"I try, sweetheart, I try," he laughed. "Anyway, I'm Leon Kuwata. I like music, I guess, and I'm looking forward to becoming a singer when I graduate!" he smiled.

Next up was the 21-year-old. He had brown skin and long dreadlocks that he kept standing up. He smirked and said, "I'm Yasuhiro Hagakure, but my friends call me Hiro! So, I guess you guys can call me Hiro." He winked, giving a big smile and a thumbs up. Based on what Makoto gathered from him, he was a pretty carefree and laid back guy. "I'm really into video games, and I'm also a bit of a fortune-teller. I mean, I'm always _at least_ 30% right." He smirked. _I don't think that's much of a talent more than it is guessing..._ Makoto thought, sighing.

Again, it was quiet, but the blond boy with glasses besides Hiro knew quite well that he was up next. Hiro frowned, nudging him with his elbow to try and get his attention. 

"Please, don't touch me." He sneered at Hiro, making him duck his head out of fear at his demanding and forceful tone. "Anyway, I honestly don't see the use of introductions. We're hardly ever going to talk to each other, seeing as this is just an apartment," he said.

"B-But, don't you think it'd be good if we could become friends?" Sayaka said, her voice shaky. 

"Yeah! We're all gonna be living here anyway, so..." Makoto finally spoke since he came here, feeling a little calmer when he was talking in response to Sayaka for some reason. The blond rolled his eyes.

"Byakuya Togami." 

"What?" Leon said, looking over at the arrogant boy with a confused expression. 

"Byakuya Togami; that's my name," he answered, making some people a bit surprised he complied so fast. Albeit, it was probably just to get it over with sooner. "I don't expect much from all of you, so don't expect much from me, either." His replies and comments were a mix of aggressiveness and passive-aggressiveness, somehow making him seem even more rude and self-absorbed. Nobody tried to get him to say something about himself, probably knowing he wouldn't tell any of them. So, instead, the next person went.

"Uh, I'm Aoi Asahina!" Aoi, the girl with the curly, brown hair in a ponytail said. She had tan skin and wore athletic red and white clothing. "You guys can call me Hina, though. As for something about myself, I'm totally invested in sports! Especially swimming!" She smiled brightly and then gave a nod to everybody at the table. "It's very nice to meet you all!" _She seems nice,_ Makoto thought to himself, a small smile tugging on his lips.

"And who's last? You?" Taka suddenly asked, looking over at a girl who had long, purple hair cascading down her head, a small strand of it even braided. Her purple eyes looked over at Taka, her face unamused.

"Yes, I suppose I am." She sighed, shifting in her seat and folding her hands upon the table. Her voice was quiet yet firm, gentle yet stern. "I am Kyoko Kirigiri. I am pleased to be at your service," she said, not cracking a smile even once. Makoto couldn't say he even saw her blink. "I like the mystery genre on television, I guess. That is all." She put her hands back in her lap, closing her eyes and nodding towards everybody else, just as Aoi did. 

"We've all finished, then, yes?" Taka clapped his hands together and smiled widely, feeling proud that he was able to pull together such a, uh... _successful_ event. As it did when Taka first started the introductions with his own, nods, "yeah"s, and "yes"s circled around the room. "Perfect! Well, then, that's all for today!" 

"For _today?_ " Byakuya said, furrowing his eyebrows. Taka nodded vigorously.

"Yes! I have arranged a schedule for our daily lives!" He suddenly pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket, quickly unfolding it and showing it to the table, making everybody gasp. On the sheet of the paper was a numbered list, each with a time labeled next to it and an activity to do at that time. It looked like it went all the way down to 9 PM.

"Wh-What?!" Makoto's eyes widened as they studied the list, watching as Taka put it back in his pocket. "We have our own lives, you know! What if we can't be here for all of that?!" he asked, that being the first thing that came to mind. 

_"Uwaaaah?!"_ Toko shouted, pulling at her pigtails. "You absolute m-m-monster! I can't keep a proper s-schedule like that, and y-you can't force it on me!" 

"Come on, man! As Makoto said, we have our own lives!" Mondo joined in on the arguing, narrowing his eyes at the black-haired boy. Taka's face dropped, seeing everybody riot against him wasn't anything unusual, but this? This, to him, was _definitely_ unusual. 

"N-Now, now, everyone! I can rearrange!" he shouted back at them, making them all quiet down at least a little bit. He let out a sigh of relief, looking at every single one of the people at the table. "Now, I know I upset all of you, and I do acknowledge that you all have lives, but there is a way I can fix this!" He pulled the list back out again, pointing at the first thing on it. "At 8:30 AM, I have written down that we will have breakfast together. We could at least do that!" he said.

"Yes, but where? It's not like there's a restaurant in here..." Chihiro mumbled. 

"Well, I have taken the time out of my day yesterday to scope out the area in which I will be living in, and I just so happened to come across a few cafes and diners that I think would be perfect for a breakfast get-together! Of course, you don't have to come every single day, but it'd be nice to see how each other's day went the day before!" Taka smiled, finally catching the interest of everybody. 

"Well..." Makoto thought about it for a minute before smiling. "I don't think that's a half-bad idea, Taka." He grinned at the boy, making him smile back.

"Does everybody agree?" Taka asked the table, and, surprisingly, most of them nodded or said yes— except Byakuya and Toko, who were opposed to the idea.

"Well, that sets it! We shall have our first breakfast meeting tomorrow at Faro Coffee and Catering if that's no problem." Taka then stood up, everybody else following his lead. "See you tomorrow, everyone!" He waved to the group of people before heading out the door, everybody following him one by one once again. 

Makoto smiled to himself. _You know, maybe I won't dislike living here after all..._ He chuckled before hopping out the door, jumping up the stairs to his newfound home.


	2. Breakfast Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group of high-schoolers (and that one weird 21-year-old) get together at the local cafe to discuss what happened the day before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, everybody. It's finally here, though; chapter 2, puhuhuhu!

Makoto groaned as he stretched in bed, his sheets all messed up from how much he tossed and turned during the night. It was early in the morning, yet it didn't feel like it whatsoever, at least to an exhausted brunette. The morning light faded in his window, making Makoto groan even more. To top it all off, Makoto's alarm was yelling at him to get up, making him sigh and throw his pillow over his head. Although, it wasn't long before he threw the pillow back down on his bed and got up, turning his annoying alarm off.

"Jeez, finally..." he mumbled to himself, shaking his head to try and get himself awake. He narrowed his eyes at the alarm, looking at the time. "8:21, huh," he whispered, trying to remember why he set it so early. He eventually shrugged, giving up, and walked to the bathroom, going to take a shower. 

But, it was at that moment, five minutes into his shower, that he remembered the exact reason he had set the alarm to that time. _"Uwaaah!_ The god-dang breakfast meeting!" he yelled, quickly washing his hair and getting out. Makoto, as fast as he could, dried himself off and put on his clothes, grabbing his jacket and quickly putting it on as he went out of the bathroom, then bolted to the door.

But, as soon as he ran outside into the hall, he bumped into someone rather hard, probably due to running that fast and not looking where he was going. He fell on his butt, groaning in pain. He winced, looking up at who he bumped into, surprised to see none other than the famous pop idol, Sayaka Maizono. _I should really start thinking of her as a real person, seeing as I'm practically living with her now..._ he thought, rubbing his head.

"A-Ah! I'm super sorry, uh, Naegi, was it?" she asked, watching as Makoto pulled himself up. He extended a hand towards the girl, and, once she latched on, pulled her up as well.

"Y-Yeah," he chuckled tentatively, shoving his hands in his pockets. "And don't be sorry, it was honestly my fault. Are _you_ okay?" he asked, his embarrassed face suddenly changing to a worried one. Sayaka laughed lightly, a blush covering her cheeks. Makoto raised an eyebrow, wondering what was so funny.

"Of course, and since you're wondering what's so funny, it's just that... are you intending to go to the cafe with no shoes?" she asked, pointing down at Makoto's feet. He looked down, seeing only his white socks on. 

"Eh?!" His eyes widened, and he quickly excused himself to go put on his sneakers. It took him only a few seconds to come back out with, thankfully, shoes on his feet. 

"Anyway," he began, the embarrassment still plastered on his face. "how'd you know I was wondering what was funny?" he asked, beginning to walk down the hall with Sayaka by his side. She chuckled, looking at Makoto with a cheerful face.

"I'm psychic!" she laughed, holding up a peace sign. For a few seconds, Makoto actually believed it, but he came to his senses and just looked at her with a suspicious face. "Okay..." Sayaka gave in, snickering at the brunette's face. "You got me, I actually just have really good intuition." She smiled at him playfully, while Makoto just stared at her with confusion and shock. He quickly snapped out of his daze.

"But, still, that's pretty crazy you guessed that with only your intuition... you _sure_ you're not psychic?" he asked, half-joking. Sayaka gave no reply but did give a bout of laughter, leaving Makoto awkwardly walking next to her.

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It wasn't long before the two got to the cafe around the corner, chatting about random things in an attempt to get to know each other along the way. It did, in some way, work, because Makoto _did_ learn a thing or two about her. For one, she was super sweet, always being very kind to you know matter what. Second, she was _totally_ psychic. Like, how could she guess Makoto's favorite show in one go?! Well, I guess he _did_ like the most popular show on television right now, like everybody else...

Anyway, Makoto and Sayaka walked into the cafe, immediately struck by the smell of coffee and pastries, but they also got struck by something else.

"Naegi, Maizono, you're late! It's 8:34!" The two teens stopped dead in their tracks in the doorframe of the cafe, staring at the one and only Taka who was shouting at them, sitting in his seat at the table. Practically everybody in the cafe turned and stared at Taka, probably bothered that they had to deal with his loud-mouth already. _Wow, it's only four minutes since we were supposed to be here, and yet he yelled at us..._ Makoto sighed, rubbing the nape of his neck as he and Sayaka went over to join the table that, surprisingly, everybody from the apartment sat at.

"Sorry, sorry... I slept in a little." He apologized, glancing around the table with embarrassment covering his face. Sayaka blushed a bit, probably out of embarrassment as well.

"Yeah, me too," she said, nodding at everyone apologetically. Taka huffed, crossing his arms, but eventually gave in and nodded back at the two.

"Apology accepted. After all, what would the world be like if we held grudges?" He suddenly laughed, but quickly stopped and looked at the two with a face that could tell Makoto and Sayaka that he was gonna tell them a lesson. "But, really, what if this was school? You'd get expelled!" he yelled once again, looking as if he was terrified of his statement. Makoto groaned under his breath.

" _Anyway,_ is everybody here?" he said, looking around the table. He counted heads, including himself, getting a total of sixteen. "I guess we are. Anyway, what exactly are we here for?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Taka facepalmed.

"Wasn't it something to do to discuss what happened the day before?" Aoi spoke up, raising her pointer finger a bit.

"I believe so, right, Taka?" Kyoko also spoke up, glancing towards Taka. He nodded, a smile on his face going from ear to ear.

"Correct! It can also be taken as a way to get to know each other better!" he said. "Now, how about we get started? I'd first like to say that I'm gla—!" 

"Hey, _wait!"_ Suddenly, a certain someone yelled from across the table at Taka, making everyone turn their head towards him. It, of all people, was none other than Mondo. "What do ya think you're doing going right on ahead startin' talkin'?! I didn't come here just to talk, ya know! I also came here to get somethin' in me, that somethin' bein' a nice, refreshing coffee to get me goin'!" he yelled, making the table, and some onlookers, sigh. They just didn't want to deal with this kind of stuff at 8 AM. Taka suddenly looked offended, his eyes wide and mouth agape.

"Excuse me?!" he yelled back. "Why would you need something to get you going anyway?! You should always get up early with at least nine hours of sleep so you can be as productive as you can in the day!" he argued, seeming a bit _too_ passionate about getting up early. The two continued arguing until a certain someone spoke up, that being Sakura.

"Please, would you two stop acting like children? We've only just met and you have already fought twice now," she said, her voice and build being so intimidating made the boys instantly stop arguing and looked up at the huge teen. Makoto couldn't help but think that Taka and Mondo practically looked like ants compared with Sakura's big and muscly build. "And, Taka, while I admire your enthusiasm, some of us are not very... _awake,_ in the morning, and we need something to get us up," she said, siding with the rebel. Mondo, after hearing that, smiled mischievously, looking at Taka with boastful eyes.

"Ha! Whaddya think about that, huh? Looks like you're not right about every–"

" _But,_ " Sakura started again, making Mondo frown. "You, Mondo, could try and be nicer." Mondo groaned, not up for the idea. 

"Yeah! Even I need something in the morning to get me up and at 'em, let it be a glass of coffee or tea, and maybe sometimes even a donut, but lots of us need something in the morning!" Aoi said, rubbing her stomach. Taka looked around the table, seeing everybody's faces, and sighed in defeat.

"Alright. While I do not support the indulgence of caffeine, I will allow you all to go order something." He let out a humph before crossing his arms and waiting. The table hesitated for a moment, but once everybody had finally gotten the idea, everybody who wanted something to eat or drink, which was practically everyone, got up and went to order. Makoto was the first in line, surprisingly, and he awkwardly looked at the small menu on the chalkboard behind the cashier.

"Uh... sorry, I, um, I'm not too familiar with the menu..." he laughed skittishly, feeling the impatience rising in some of the people in the line. He was just about to say, 'surprise me,' until a blue-haired girl behind him spoke up with her signature smile on her face. 

"We'll both have some black tea," Sayaka informed the cashier, speaking for Makoto. Makoto turned around, eyes wide as he looked at the girl who had ordered for him. He was surprised, but also kinda relieved. After all, he was pretty much a lost cause in the front of the line where he couldn't copy other people's orders. The cashier nodded and shouted the order behind him, a bit out-of-character for a coffee shop cashier.

"Um, thanks," Makoto said tentatively, a smile, that was caused by embarrassment, on his face. He was glad she ordered for him, but he honestly didn't even know what black tea was. Sayaka chuckled.

"It's no problem, you'll love it." She patted Makoto's shoulder before turning back to the man behind the counter, setting down 1,500 yen she had pulled out of her pocket on the counter. He took the money and put it in the cash register, handing them their cups of tea. Makoto and Sayaka accepted it and then began moving out of the way, walking back to their table.

"Is it really that good? I mean, I've never tried this kind of tea..." Makoto asked as they both sat down, ignoring Taka who was still waiting with a stern face. Sayaka nodded with a smile.

"Of course! Why else would I order it for you?" She laughed, taking a sip of the tea. Makoto silently nodded, holding the tea up to his face as he took a small whiff of it. It, no doubt, smelled... _bold,_ he thought, but it also smelled good, surprisingly. He finally took a small drink of it, and, once he swallowed, smiled. It tasted rather good, a bit on the strong side, but good.

"It's nice." He smiled, looking over at Sayaka. She smiled, and they both continued their tea in peace. 

A few minutes later, everybody had gotten their drinks, some even getting something small to eat. Although, instead of having at least a little time in quietness to enjoy their wake-up meal, they were interrupted by Taka immediately jumping to things. 

"Alright! Now that we're all settled in, we can finally begin!" He said loudly. Some people tried to object, but Taka pushed through them all. "First off, I'd like to say that I'm glad everybody showed up! I have to admit, I didn't really expect some specific people to show..." he admitted, ducking his head a bit. "But, that doesn't matter! Let's get right to business, yes? Does anybody want to start us off?" he asked. As Makoto expected, nobody complied, so Taka had to compromise. "Fine! I'll pick! Yamada, you!" Hifumi looked at him with wide eyes.

"Eh?! Me?! But, Mr. Ishimaru, I don't think I have anything good to say, let alone _know_ anything to say!" He objected, defensively raising his hands. Before Taka could shout something motivating about his confidence, Leon beat him to it; just, not as, well, _motivating._

"Come on, man, what, did your confidence suddenly grow legs and walk away? You sure had some yesterday... just say whatever you did yesterday," Leon said sarcastically, leaning back in his chair. 

"What?! Of course, it didn't! Fine, I'll tell you what happened yesterday, I got a letter in the mail!" he said, crossing his arms. Everybody's face dropped. _Seriously? That's what he has to offer?_ Makoto thought, his face just as disappointed-looking as the others. _I mean, even I got a card in the mail yesterday, and practically nobody ever sends me mail other than my family!_

"Seriously? That's all? To be honest, I regret making you talk, man!" Leon said, rubbing his temples. "I don't think it's special that you got a letter, I mean, I did, too, and I'm not over here boasting about it." He rolled his eyes. Hifumi looked offended, but, luckily, just before Hifumi could open his mouth, Makoto interrupted.

"Honestly, Kuwata, it might actually be something to go over." Makoto noticed Leon's confused expression, so he decided to explain. "What I mean is that even I got a letter yesterday, and, um, although I didn't open it," his face went red with embarrassment, "I think it's a bit strange. Like, you got a card in the mail, too, right?" Leon's mouth dropped. 

"Well, yeah, but it's not anything special. Well, actually, I guess there _was_ something weird about it," he said, rolling his eyes. Makoto raised an eyebrow. "I couldn't get it open, not even with scissors or anything!" He shrugged, crossing his legs as his eyes scanned the table. Hifumi nodded.

"That's right! I couldn't get mine to rip open, either..." he said, his voice sounding a bit disappointed. "I was hoping it was the new _Demon Angel☆Pretty Pudgy Princess_ manga issue, but now I can't even know!" He sighed, making Leon facepalm.

"Now that I think about it, I also got a letter that was impossible to open last night!" Taka spoke up, his eyes widened. 

"I got one, too, but let's face it, it's prolly just a buncha kids tryin' to prank us, ya know?" Mondo said, shrugging a shoulder. "Kids are always tryin' to prank new people 'round here. That's what my bro told me, anyway," he said, seemingly not caring about any of this. 

"Wait, so, let me get this straight... we all got a letter in the mail last night that, well, we couldn't open?" Makoto asked, and everybody nodded. Byakuya sighed.

"I don't see the point in all this chit-chat about some letters. As Owada said, it's probably just some middle-schoolers who thought it was funny to pull some hysterical joke on us, seeing as we're new residents," he said. "That's why I threw mine away. Oh, and, by the way, I advise you all to throw yours away, too. No matter in keeping them, anyway. They're junk." His voice was blank and monotone, but still had that tone that said "I'm better than you in many more ways than one." 

"You... threw it away?" On one hand, Makoto agreed that these letters were nothing more than a joke, but on another, it still felt weird that some kids would go out of their way just to pull some prank on them. And, even if they _did_ do this, how'd they make it that it was practically impossible to open or even tear the letters? 

"Of course, I did. As I said, they're nothing more than useless junk," Byakuya said. Makoto sighed.

"Well, I guess I can throw mine away." Junko suddenly spoke up, glancing over at her sister beside her as she reached inside her purse, pulling out the letter. 

"You have yours on you?" Sayaka asked, tilting her head to the side as she saw the envelope being pulled out of her purse. Junko laughed. 

"Why wouldn't I? I thought, like, maybe I could show it to you guys and see if that muscly girl over there could open it for me. But, since, that, like, rich dude said they're junk, I may as well do what he said and throw it away," she said, shrugging a shoulder. Just as she stood up from her chair, about ready to go to the nearest trash can, Makoto stopped her. 

"Hey!" he shouted, making everybody look over at him. He ducked his head from embarrassment, _maybe that was a little too loud..._ He shook his head and looked back up at Junko. "Enoshima, why not try and open it before you throw it away?" he suggested, making the girl raise an eyebrow as she slowly sat back down. 

"What? Why? It's not gonna open, I mean, like, I already tried it last night, and nobody else could open it—" By now, she had the letter in hand and put her finger under the seemingly super-glued down flap, prepared to rip it open. "—so I, like, doubt that anythings gonna happen—!" Suddenly, as she put all her strength into trying to open it up, her expectations low, it tore. The flap tore right off, leaving the envelope open and anybody free to take the letter that was stuffed inside. Everybody's eyes widened. 

"It— It opened!" Makoto gasped. "I thought it was impossible?!" 

"That's what I thought, too..." Byakuya's voice wasn't exactly quieter or shyer before, but it seemed as though he didn't want to make eye contact with anyone at the moment. "Enoshima, are you sure that that's the same letter that we everybody else got? Surely it isn't." He smirked.

"Um, I don't know, it's not like I can know what letter you guys have inside yours." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "This could be a completely different thing, I mean, like, it could be my paycheck, which it better fucking be 'cause I waited, like, two fucking weeks so far for that piece of shit to send me it." She said, her demeanor completely changing as she furrowed her eyebrows. She took out the letter, throwing the envelope on the table. "Ooh, it's pretty!" She smiled, making the table confused and taken aback by how quickly her tone changed. The card was hot pink with white glitter thrown onto it, and in the middle of the card read the words _Party Time!_ in bold, gold letters. 

"W-Well?" Toko suddenly spoke up for the first time, her facial expression irritated, for whatever reason. "I bet it h-has nothing to do with us, s-seeing as it's a party i-invitation... the slut probably g-gets th-them all the time..." she growled. Everybody's eyes widened at her foul-mouth, but Junko was suddenly enraged. 

"Excuse me?! How can you say something so cruel when you barely even know them?!" She spat. "That's such a bad word to say to someone, you know!" Makoto frowned as he listened to the two argue. It was like nobody could get along, and with people acting like this, Makoto couldn't think of a future in which everybody _did_ get along... 

"Please, let's all stop arguing!" Sayaka shouted to the two, desperation in her eyes. "There's no need to be fighting, so let's just calm down." Junko rolled her eyes. 

"Okay, fine. Just know that the bookworm over here started it with her language." She huffed. She opened the card and starting reading aloud. "Dear Junko Enoshima, The Ultimate Fashionista." She, and a few others, looked a bit confused at whatever an "ultimate" was. "You, and many others, have been invited to a super amazing, stunning, fabulous, _staggering_ party!" Junko squealed. "Oh, my, god! I can't wait! Okay, okay... " She cleared her throat before continuing. "Please meet at this location this Wednesday at 6 PM:" She proceeded to read the location aloud, and, once she finished, set the card on the table. "God, I'm so excited!"

"Actually, as much as I hate to say it..." Hifumi pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "I do believe Ms. Fukawa is right. There's _no way_ we all got invited to the same party," he said, looking around the table. Makoto furrowed his eyebrows. _Maybe Hifumi and Toko are right..._ he thought, getting ready to admit defeat before a certain someone spoke up.

"Oh, wait!" a petite girl shouted, reaching into her pocket. From inside, Chihiro pulled out an envelope. "I think I've got mine right here," she said, trying to smooth out its crumpled surface. Mondo's eyes widened as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Well? What're ya doing, open it!" he demanded, eagerness obvious in his voice. That is until everybody looked at him with a confused expression. His face flushed as he awkwardly leaned back away, crossing his legs once again. "Pfft, I mean, whatever. Not like I care, or somethin'." He rolled his eyes as a blush covered his face. Practically the whole table mentally facepalmed. 

"Um, alright," Chihiro said, her voice quiet and a little bit shaky. Her frail fingers went under the flap the same way Junko's did, except much more gently, and started tearing it open. The flap tore right off, once again leaving the card inside free to take. "It opened!" Chihiro smiled, taking the card out of its envelope and looking at it with curious eyes.

"Eh?! It actually opened!" Yasuhiro exclaimed in awe. Before Chihiro could talk, though, somebody else did for her. 

"Hold on a minute, I think I have my card, too!" Aoi said, also pulling a wrinkled envelope out of her jacket pocket, crumbs falling out of it as she did so. She wasted no time in tearing the flap off, and, to no surprise, left everyone to see the card inside. "It really did! It wouldn't open yesterday," she said, mostly to herself, as she took the card out. It had the same exterior as Chihiro's and Junko's, and when she opened it, it also had the same interior as theirs, also. 

"What does yours say?" Chihiro asked. Aoi glanced up before looking back down at the card. 

"Well, it says; Dear Aoi Asahina, The Ultimate Swimming Pro." She looked a bit confused at the title, just like everybody else, but eventually gave a proud smile. "You, and many others, have been invited to a super amazing, stunning, fabulous, _staggering_ party." She paused, looking up at everybody else. 

"Nngh— It really is the same as Enoshima's!" Taka shouted, stunned. "I wonder if we all got invited to the same party?!" He slammed his hands on the table, leaning forward and standing up. 

"No shit, hardass!" Mondo growled, making Taka huff as he sat back down. "Fujisaki, what's yours say?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Um, well, it says the same as Hina's and Junko's... even down to the date and location. The only thing different is my name: Chihiro Fujisaki; Ultimate Programmer..." she said, ducking her head out of shyness. Mondo nodded.

"Perhaps it is just a housewarming party?" Celeste suggested. "Maybe they noticed that we had all moved into this apartment at the same time, and had decided to throw us a party to get to know each other even better." She glanced around the table, a smile, that seemed to never leave her face, plastered right onto her face. Makoto raised an eyebrow.

"But who would do that?" he asked. 

"The manager, I suppose. He's the only one, except maybe our parents, although I doubt it, that could've known we were all moving in at the time," Kyoko said. Makoto nodded slightly, a bit caught off guard by just how purple Kyoko's eyes were. They were the kind that you just couldn't help but catch yourself accidentally staring into them. 

"But, even if the manager _had_ sent us those invitations, how'd he know our talents? Or, erm, ultimates, as they put it," Makoto asked nobody in particular. 

"Y-Yeah! And what a-about the 'i-impossible t-to open' part? Wh-What, the envelopes just s-suddenly decided to o-open or s-something?!" Toko shouted.

"Will you be quiet? Your stuttering voice annoys me." Byakuya sent a glare towards Toko, making her look at him with confused and wide eyes. 

"Eh?!" 

"But, Byakuya, she may have a point. It _is_ confusing as to why the letters were like that the other day," Kyoko said. Byakuya huffed. 

"I know that. It's just that I don't like to hear her voice. Just admit it; nobody likes to hear Fukawa's voice, you all just tolerate it because you don't want to hurt her feelings. I, on the other hand, don't care. It's not like she has any feelings left to be hurt, anyway. She was probably bullied in middle school," he snarled. 

"...Anyway, let's get back on track," Kyoko said after a short pause. Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Everybody, as soon as you get back home, make sure to open your card and see if it's the party invitation. If it is, we'll know by if you're at the location or not," she instructed. The whole table nodded, determined to find out what this whole 'party invitation' thing was about.

"Well, it seems that we're all done for today, correct?" Taka asked, a smile on his face despite everything that happened. Makoto, and everybody else, nodded. "Great! Then I'll see you all tomorrow at the party!" He clasped his hands together as he stood up, as well as everybody else— except two. 

"Erm, Makoto, could you stay here for a minute?" Sayaka looked up at Makoto, who was just about to stand up and leave with the rest of the group. The brunette looked down at the girl.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, sure." He sat back down, scooting into the table.

"Hey, you guys coming?" Yasuhiro peeked out of the entryways doorframe, raising an eyebrow at the two teens still sitting at the table. They both turned around, looking at him. 

"Oh, uh, not right now. You guys head-on without us." Makoto laughed skittishly.

"Alright, whatever you say." Yasuhiro shrugged, looking at them with a slightly disappointed yet care-free face as he walked out and met back up with the group. Makoto looked back at the blue-haired pop star.

"So..." he said awkwardly, making Sayaka chuckle. "What'd you need?"

"Well, um, I didn't really get to talk to you about this before, but now I finally can. So, anyway... Naegi... did you happen to go to Blackroot Junior High?" she asked. Makoto's eyes widened. _Well, I mean, of course, I went there, but how did she know? Is there her being psychic again?!_

"Uh, yeah," he said blankly, his eyes still wide and his mouth agape. It was a few seconds before he realized how monotone he sounded. "I mean, um, yeah! Yeah, I did go there. How did you know... ?" Sayaka laughed, her cheeks turning a rosy pink.

"Because I went there, too! Don't you remember?" She smiled, and she couldn't help but laugh at Makoto's obliviousness. The brunette thought for a moment before the memories practically hit him like a truck going 60 MPH. He _did_ use to go to high school with her! Although he never really talked to her, seeing as she was one of the most popular girls in school. There was no way someone like Makoto Naegi, a hopelessly average kid, could just waltz right up to rising pop star, Sayaka Maizono!

"Oh my gosh, you're right! My memory is kinda fuzzy..." He awkwardly chuckled, rubbing the nape of his neck. "I still can't believe you remember me... 'cause I'm, uh, I'm not really the type to stand out." Sayaka giggled, making Makoto a bit confused. 

"What do you mean? You're _super_ strange!" She laughed, making Makoto gasp.

"Strange?! What do you me-"

"Anyway, it's really nice to live in the same building with at least _one_ person I know." She smiled sweetly. "Especially such a nice one." Alright, fine, he _did_ kind of blush at that comment. 

"Wow, thanks, Maizono. You're pretty nice, too." He smiled back at her. "Well, we should probably get going now," he said after a few seconds of silence, the only sounds filling the air being the distant sound of other customers chatting. Sayaka nodded.

"You're right. Let's go, then?" she said, standing up with Makoto. He nodded, a smile on his face as the two walked outside beside each other. 

"Um... it was really nice to _actually_ meet you, Maizono," Makoto said, making the two laugh as they walked down the sidewalk. 

"It really was, Naegi," she said back, leading the conversation into a comfortable silence as they headed back towards their apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count - 4864

**Author's Note:**

> Puhuhuhu, did you like it? I know I liked writing it!
> 
> Please, if you have any criticism for me, don't hesitate to tell me in the comment! I'm all in for improving, so you can even critique on some of the little stuff, but I'm mostly looking for critique telling me if I'm portraying the character good enough, punctuation, and anything that just seems plain awkward to read.
> 
> Anyway, leave some suggestions for the next chapter if you'd like! Thank's for reading, and stay tuned for chapter two!
> 
> Word count - 4427


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